Blessed Chiara Luce Badano was the child of Maria Teresa and Ruggero Badano. The couple waited and prayed for 11 years for the gift of a child before Chiara was born on October 29, 1971.

Chiara desired that all the children of the world would be happy. She donated her best toys to poor children and set aside her pocket money for children in Africa. She invited poor people into the family’s home for holidays, and visited sick children and the elderly.

At 9 years of age, Chiara became involved with the Focolare movement, and lived out the spirituality of unity.

To please Jesus, the teenage Chiara dressed in a clean and tidy way, without being flashy or ostentatious, because “what matters is to be beautiful inside.” She tried to turn the normal difficulties of daily life into opportunities of love. Chiara was a normal and outgoing girl who liked music, dancing, swimming, tennis, and hiking in the mountains.

Chiara was popular and had many friends. She tried to bring Jesus to them by good deeds and good examples----by listening to them, by the way she dressed, and by loving them.

When she was 17, Chiara experienced excruciating pain in her left shoulder while playing tennis. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a painful form of cancer. Once back home after hearing the news, Chiara told her mother not to ask her any questions, and she experienced 25 minutes of “Gethsemane garden.” Eventually she said “yes” to Jesus about accepting her sufferings, and then she said: “Now you can speak, Mum,” and her face shone again with her usual smile.

Chiara would often repeat her “Yes” to Jesus by saying, “For You, Jesus; if You want it, I want it too.” After two surgeries, Chiara had chemotherapy. The treatment caused her to lose her hair. As each lock of hair fell, she would say sincerely, “For You, Jesus.”

Cardinal Saldarini visited Chiara in the hospital. He said, “The light in your eyes is splendid. Where does it come from?” Chiara’s answered: “I try to love Jesus as much as I can.”

In July 1989 the cancer spread quickly, and Chiara lost the use of her legs. She said, “If I had to choose between walking or going to heaven, I would choose going to heaven.”

In the last year of her life, Chiara kept in touch with and encouraged the Focolare movement through telephone calls, messages, postcards, and posters. In May 1990, Chiara watched Genfest 90, an international youth gathering held in Rome, from home.

Chiara refused to take pain medication because it would reduce her lucidity. She said, “There’s only one thing I can do now: offer my suffering to Jesus, because I want to share as much as possible in His suffering on the cross.”

Chiara gave all of her savings to a friend who did missionary work in Africa. She said, “I have nothing left, but I still have my heart, and with that I can always love.”

With her mother, Chiara prepared for her “wedding celebration” -- her funeral. Chiara asked to be dressed in a simple white wedding dress; she chose the Mass readings, the songs, and the flowers. She told her mother, “When you’re getting me ready, Mum, you have to keep saying to yourself, ‘Chiara Luce is now seeing Jesus.'”

Chiara died at 4:10 a.m. Oct. 7, 1990. Her last words to her mother were: “Goodbye. Be happy because I’m happy.”


                                           姬婭拉接受苦痛

瑪利亞.德蘭和魯杰羅.伯達諾夫婦,用了十一年時間向天主祈求,終於在1971年10月29日,女兒姬婭拉出生了。

真福姬婭拉.盧詩.伯達諾希望世界上所有兒童都能愉快地成長;她把自己喜愛的玩具,贈送貧窮的兒童,把零用錢儲蓄起來,為的是捐助非洲兒童。她會邀請貧窮的人來家渡假日,閑時探望病童和老弱的人。

年僅九歲的姬婭拉,已經參與普世博愛運動,活出合一的精神

為了鍾悅耶穌,青春少艾的姬婭拉,衣著從不浮誇,樸實不華,因為她認為「內在美至為重要」。應對日常生活的挫折,她會設法轉化成實行愛德的機會;不過,姬婭拉絕對是個正常活躍的少女:她喜歡音樂、舞蹈、游泳、網球和登山遠足。

姬婭拉甚受很多朋友愛戴;她會以善以行的好榜樣,把耶穌帶進朋友圈中 ── 衣著端莊、以愛心相待和聆聽。

十七歲那年,在一次打網球期間,姬婭拉左肩感到劇痛難當;後來被疹斷出患骨肉瘤,是其中一種最疼痛的癌病。和悉噩耗的姬婭拉,回到家裡,請母親別向她發問,獨自靜下來,經歷了二十五分鐘的「山園祈禱」,最後她向耶穌表示,願意接受病苦,然後才對母親說:「媽,你現在可以問了。」她重新展示燦爛的笑容。

姬婭拉不斷自我確認對耶穌「願意」的承諾,重覆說:「為了祢,耶穌,如果祢願意,我願意!」經過兩次手術後,姬婭拉接受化療,頭髮脫落:每每看到自己束束秀髮脫落,她會衷心地重申:「為了祢,耶穌!」

薩達練尼樞機到醫院探望姬婭拉,問道:「你燦爛的眼神是從那裡來的?」她解釋說:「我設法盡力去愛耶穌。」

1989年7月,癌病在姬婭拉體內擴散,她失去雙腳的活動能力;她說:「如果我要在走路和去天堂之間來選擇,我寧願選擇去天堂。」

生命最後的一年,姬婭拉用電話、訊息、郵遞方式,保持與普世博愛運動的聯繫。1990年5月的世界青年日,姬婭拉透過衛星電視,觀看了直播。

姬婭拉拒絕服用止痛藥,因為她不想減弱神志,謂:「我現在唯一能做的,就是把我的病苦獻給耶穌,我要盡力分擔祂在十字架上的痛苦。」

姬婭拉把自己的積蓄,全數交給在非洲進行救援工作的朋友。嘗道:「我一無所有,但仍有一顆可以時常去愛的心。」

姬婭拉和母親一起籌備視為自己婚禮的喪禮;她要求壽衣是簡單白色的婚禮服式,親自揀選殯葬彌撒的讀經、聖歌,甚至祭台鮮花的擺設。她對母親強調:「當你準備我時,媽媽,你要不斷提醒自己,姬婭拉.盧詩現在要覲見耶穌了。」

1990年10月7日,凌晨四時十分,姬婭拉溘然長逝。遺言母親說:「再見了!你要快樂,因為我是快樂的!」